Hearing in 70 and 75 year old people: results from a cross sectional and longitudinal population study

Audiometric data are presented from a cross sectional and longitudinal population study of 70 and 75 year old people in Gothenburg, Sweden. The population studied included 1148 randomly selected 70 year old men and women. A subsample of 376 was tested with pure tone and speech audiometry. Five years later 261 of those were tested again with the same methods. The mean pure tone thresholds were only 8 to 10 dB. higher than data chosen as representative for presbycusis in selected populations. Between the ages of 70 and 75 there was no detectable change in the pure tone thresholds for men. The hearing threshold in women had deteriorated throughout the entire frequency range and most were at 4 and 8 kHz. Speech discrimination scores were unexpectedly high. Seventy-five per cent of the women and 50 per cent of the men had discrimination scores equal to or better than 92 per cent at the age of 70. At the age of 75 about 65 per cent of the women and 35 per cent of the men had the same excellent speech discrimination